Kailway-ceossikg signal



0 Mrclll l2, 1929. R. T. BRASWELL ET Al. 1,705,001

RAILWAY cRossNs 'SIGNAL Filed Sept. 12, 1927 4 sheets-sheet l Uu LJ ULILILI'LIU March 12', 1929. R. T. BRAswELl. E1' Ax. 1,705,001

RAILWAY CROSSING SIGNAL Filed sept. 12. 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 T.BrasweZL Oren lil-#Flanders c Home] bok.

March 12, 1929. R. T. BRAswl-:LL E1'- AL 1,705,001

RAILWAY CROSS ING S IGNAL Filed sept. 12, 1927 4 sheets-sheet 5 Ralph T-B1'a5we/Z Oren M Flanfem 9" March l2, 1929.

R. T. BRASWELL ET AL RAILWAY CROSSING SIGNAL Filed Sept. 12, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Inventor! signals and has for an vobject vto provide av signaling'device stationed at aposition fad-.f jacentthe crossing and provided .with elec-v l y liatented Mar. A12, 19219?.l

Y i, msnm V sieres;refinar ltrice;

mirra fr. yisaiiiswriIQIJ invncaniv mrmiivnnas, or MIAMI, Encarna. K

"RAILWAY-'CROSSING SIGNAL.;

App1i0ation filed SeptemberlZ, 1927. Serial No. 219,111.

This invention relates to railway crossing'l trical signaling means operativelyV connected through the'rails of gthe track witha source of energy mounted 'on the train so that upon" thel ,approach of the train upon a certainpredetermined section of the, track the sig-v nal'will'bevautomatically operated.

.A 4further object isfto. provide awnovel'l l v means for transmitting'th'e currentA from the rsourceof energy-carried by: the train to the signal and comprising a trolley rail .t1-ack, an electrical connection will .be made.

arrangedbetweenthef rails of the trackeand disposed in contacting position with a trolley l wheel lmounted on the train, 1 said trolley wheel being electrically connected v. with the source of energy Iso that upon the approach ofthe .train to a predetermined sectionof the Y betweenthe' signal and thesource of energy Y ltivecontactbetween the trolleywheel and byv reason of the engagement of--the'trolley` vand trolley track.l f

'A further object isto utilize the source of current generally provided for the electric lighting ystemof the train for the operation of the crossing signal; Y Y v Astill further Objectis to provide means for yieldably mounting thev trolley wheel upon the train whereby :to-produce a posithe trolley `track at'all times, whereby to insure a proper connection forv the operation of the Vsignal during jthe traveling ofthe 'train over the signaling section of the track..

v of the-trolleytrack at opposite sides of vthe' r An'additionalobj ect is to arrange a section railway. crossing so 4that'the signal will be operated uponthe approach of trains fromV either direction. f Y

v Another object is to provide anapparatus of thischaracter of simple and practical construction, `eiic'ient and :reliable in performance5 relatively inexpensive to manufacture, and install,.and otherwisefwell adapted for l the purposesV foriwhich it is intended.

Other objects and'advantages reside in the special construction and combination of the various elements forming the invention,v refT erence being hadto the accompanying drawings forming apart hereof, vwherein Figure 1 is a plan viewv of` a ysectionv of railway track at a highway crossing showing the signal in -position with respect thereto.

1 Figure '2 is a diagrammatic view showing the circuit between the train and the signal-r ling device.

f Figure 3 is an elevational view of .the

signal. Y e .Y

Figure 4 is a verticalsectional view taken along a line 4 4 of Figure 3 showing the signalingy elements mounted within the signalbox. Y i l Figure 5 is a fragmentaryl sectional View takenV along a line5v-5 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a vertical sectional viewv through the signaling arm taken along the line 6-6`of`Figure3- y f Figure 7 is lan elevational view of the forward end of a locomotive illustrating a practical manner of mounting the trolleyy Figure llis a transverse sectional view Vthrough a section of the railway equipped with the trolley track.

Figure 12 is a sectional view through'the trolley' and slidable vmounting' therefor, and, -Figure 13 is an elevational view of the guide channel for the trolley bracket showing its facing lprovided with spot babbitting designed to reduce Afriction between these parts.

Y Referring now to the drawings in detail, the invention comprises a trolley rail 5`ar ranged.longitudinallyjbetween the rails 6v of a track,`s`aidtrolley rail being mounted upon supports 7 anchored to the rail ties V8 and arranged so that the trolley rail will be elevated slightly above vthe track rails as shown in Figure'll'. v

The trolley rail preferably'is of a channel shaped formation, opening downwardly y and seated Aupon the upper end of the supports @the flanges 9 of 'the trolley rail beingfadapted to overlap the upper edge of the support. The ends of the trolley rail are inclined downwardly to the level' of the upper face of the ties 8 and have attaching platesglO formed at the ends thereof by means of which the same may be secured to the ties. Inplacing the inventionin practice,a section of the trolley rail is arranged at opposite. sides of a highway or other crossing'indicated: at, 1,1:V for the purpose;` as hereinate-rexplai'ned.

The trolley rail is adapted to be engaged by a trolley wheel l2 rotatably mounted on a 'supporting' 'bracket' v13" having a vertically disposed channel shaped guide 14k adapted to slidably receive a bracket 1'5A y which'may be iXedly Isecured to anysuitable. part of a. locomotive or other car 16, as for instance., upon thepilot ,17 as shown in yElgin-e 7; The l,bracket 15de .retainedl in.` slidable position within the channeled:guides f lt byf means of a' plate vl8-f.sccured; to =the edges ci' the guide as by means of bolts.' 119: or` the like; y angularlyfforined on the bracket 15 and', a;

similar Vextension 21isforinedon the upperv `Vend of the guide 14: in parallelV relation f *i therewithy andi through/which is inserted a bolt 22 with a coilfspring23fc'arried thereon randirtensionally, retained between the extensionsI and 21. The tension of the spring 23 is adapted to' normallyforce't-he trolleyfwheel 12y downwardly whereby to causev apositive engagement of the saine upon the track 5;

The base of the channel formed in the.

guide 14 may ber provided with recesses withinwhich spotbabbitting as indicated' at 24: may be inserted whereby to. reduce frictionbetween the bracket 15 and thelbaae of the channel ofthe guidell.

At a; position adjacent theY crossing; is arranged-fa; signaling4 device comprising base 25 upon which is iixedly mounted amast 26 which; may be of any suitable construction or design, and having a signaling arin 27K supported atlits upper end as kby means H ofybrac'ki-itsor clamps 28. A signaling box 291s mounted on the upper outer endl ci: the signa-ling arin- 27, saidboX being cfa substantially.y rectangular 'formation and having' A, l itsropposite'sides provided with suitable per forations to Yform signaling indicia as indicated at 30. The interior Aof the sides ofn thefb'oX provided with the signaling indicia car-ries ai transparent plate 31 which may be et colored glass if desired, whereby the light iroin: an electric light bulb `32 mounted inft-herv base of the box may operate to illuminate suclrindicia.v Y

VAn audible signalling; device V3,- which V mayjbe in the `form of a bell, horn or other sound producing device is also mounted withinsthe signaling box and together with the? light 32 is electrically connected through wiresfl and 35 respectively with the trol-V leyrail aand oneof the track rails16.

i which; is usually'provided for supplylng' The trolley wheel 12Wth"its Support 13 co and bracket 115 is insulated from the locomotive o1'. other car and constitutes an electric conductor being connected through wires.

with. a generator 37 mounted` on the car and electric` current,` to the lighting.systinirij of.

A horizontal extension 20'nis 2, u n. Y 1,705,001

the-train. l One of the if connections with the' generator. is grounded as at 38 through the framewofthe car whereby to complete the circuit with the track `6 through;v the car Wheels; Y

Iii-the operation of the deviceit Ywill be apparent that Has the train` approaches the section-of the track provided withv the trolley rail 5, that upon contact therewith of the trolley," wheel'` 12: the. current romfthe. generator 3M will be tnansmitted tol tliez signal-V device whereby to operate as aflwarningfof the approach of ;the;.,train.. 'llhefA audiblef signalingf devicef 3:3:fwillf operatie: .asl aa suite:

able signaling means: duning 'ff thei daytime.;

and the .samertogetherwithv thea liglit$32i willconstitute an effective signalV atrnightl'.A As shownin: Figuretl@ ofi the: drawingg/assection of the trolley track 51 may' berv arrangedl at each; side of the;` crossingf'provdedigwith the signa-l; soi` that thesi'gnali willbeioperatefitt-V upon the;` approach; of trains frorni-ejathex" u direction.`

Thesectiorr of the track;

electrical connection with. the signal should;` of: course, be suitably; insulatedi fromlltlie'f remaining track-sections.' lllie' tnolleyrailr may *beV of any suitablel lengtlrwherebyztoi 'regulate the; lengthl ottime during-iwhich:y

the signal will operate upon( theipassing"oir4 a train andv may beA arranged at; desiredldistance romrthecrossingfso thatfthesignal;

will be Vactuated at the properftiinedepende I ing upon the usual speedfoiith'e-tiiain traveling that particular section ofi the',traclcander with respecttc the geographicalz conditionsiV surrounding the crossing.

It is obvious that ,thefi'nventioni is; suscep-k 1 tible to various` changesaand modifications.

, all; suclr forms? oi our: device' .toi whichxwef electric :connection with a; rail-comprising i a fixedly mounted?bracket,V a support adapte tofrotatab'ly carry. thefwlieelgii; an channel i,

arranged tofslid'ably receive:saidibrackets5.a i plate removablyf;cailriedby/'the'iguidewlieref/V shaped guide formed on said=.support..aiidi by toretain said bracket within: tiret-guide` babbitt sections formed4 ini the. Vface of said guide arranged' for fi'ictlional contactI w-ithi said brackea horizontal?extensions torined at the upper'ends-Vof 'the brackets;y andi the guide and yiel'dab'le means-1 interposed there betweenv Awhereby' to. normally uitgesaid guide outwardly'with respect to saidibrac'ket 2. A. trolley wheels mounting' comprising anl L-s-hapedi attaching bracket, a' support for I the trolley-f wheeli having groove foivinejdi therein: pnovidingai seat for slidably-receiving the bracket, said groove having its base inlaid with Spot babbitting, a removable tact of the Wheel with an'electrifed object plate carried by the support arranged to redisposed in the path thereof. j tain the bracket therein, and spring means In testimony whereof, We aix our sgna- 10 yieldably connecting the angular end of the tures. 'e

5 bracket with the support, said bracket having acircuitwire attached thereon for trans- RALPH T. BRASWELL. mitting an electric current pickedup by con- Y l OREN M; FLANDERS. 

